Over the past half a century, the UK has lost many of its hedgerows due to industrial farming practices.
We have the opportunity to transform British farmland and replant hedgerows - to support nature, and a safe climate.
We’ve already planted 1.2km of hedgerow at our Woodoaks Farm site – and with your help, we can plant more!
These hedges will help lock up carbon, improve soil health, provide homes for wildlife and help produce more food per hectare.
As your hedge grows, it will continue to be a valuable part of the farm for hundreds of years to come.
Why are hedgerows so important?
Homes for wildlife
An amazing 130 species of wildlife live and thrive in hedgerows. Harvest mice, hedgehogs, foraging bats and roosting birds are among the creatures that benefit from food and shelter created by hedges. Plus, the flowers and berries that fill these wonderful habitats attract pollinators and birds. Planting hedgerows at Woodoaks farm will create a habitat where wildlife can thrive.
Stronger soils
As we expect climate change to bring more extreme weather, hedgerows will act as a much-needed barrier at the margins of fields, preventing the fertile farming soil being lost by flash floods. Hedges have deep root structures which help to keep soil firmly in place. This reduces the risk of it being blown away during dry months and helping mitigate flooding in wet ones! One inch of soil takes over 500 years to form, so protecting this resource is important.
Better for climate
50% of UK hedgerows have been lost since World War Two, removed to make way for industrial agriculture. Re-establishing hedgerows can make a significant contribution to the UK's target of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The diverse range of plant life in hedges helps combat climate change by absorbing and storing carbon, which is also stored in the soil below. In fact, research shows that healthy soils store 3 times as much carbon as the atmosphere!
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If we are lucky enough to raise enough funds to plant all the hedges we need, donations will go to wherever the need is greatest in the charity.
